从叙事技巧和结构角度分析阿加莎的侦探小说.doc

从叙事技巧和结构角度分析阿加莎的侦探小说A Critical Study on Agatha Christies Detective NovelsFrom the Angles of Narrative Techniques and StructureAbstract: Millions of people all over the world like to read Agatha Christies detective novels as she did great contribution in improving detective fiction and made a significant success in this field. In short, Agatha Christies detective novels not only show us the perfect combination of sense and sensibility, but also the perfect combination of literariness and popularity. In essence, as a form of popular fiction, detective fiction also involves the basic fiction elementsplot, point of view, character, setting, style, theme, and symbol. So the glamour of her detective novels will be discussed from the angles of narrative techniques centering on narrative viewpoint and characters and structure centering on plot arrangement and setting by text analysis to identify where the literary value and special glamour of Agatha Christies detective novels lies. Key words: Agatha Christie；detective fiction；narrative techniques；structure摘要：阿加莎·克里斯蒂在侦探小说这一领域取得了举世瞩目的成就，由其全球不可计数的读者可见一斑。她的小说不仅体现了理性与感性的完美结合，同时还有文学性与大众性的绝妙诠释。就通俗小说而言，其研究的基本要素包含情节，视角，人物，背景，风格，主题和象征等。因此通过对阿加莎·克里斯蒂的侦探小说进行文本分析，试图从叙事技巧和结构角度探讨阿加莎·克里斯蒂侦探小说文学价值及其魅力所在。关键词：阿加莎·克里斯蒂；侦探小说；叙事技巧；结构ContentsI. An Introduction to Detective Fiction.1A. The origin of detective fiction.1B. The characteristics of detective fiction1II. A Brief Introduction to Agatha Christie.2III. The Glamour of Agatha Christies Detective Novels.3 A. Viewpoint.31. Narrative viewpointnarrator32. Narrative viewpointnarrators in Agatha Christies detective novels.4B. Characters51. Murderers in Agatha Christies detective novels52. Detectives in Agatha Christies detective novels.6C. Plot arrangement.7D. Setting.8IV. Agatha Christies Improvements on Detective Fiction.9A. Intricate plotting.9B. Crime psychology10C. Exquisite language.10V. Conclusion.10Works Cited.11I. An Introduction to Detective FictionA. The origin of detective fictionThe earliest detective fiction in western countries is the classic detective fiction, which begins with the short stories of Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849), a famous American writer. Since1832, he had published a series of experimental short stories, such as The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841), The Mystery of Marie Roget (1842) and The Purloined Letter (1845). In these works, Poe set up the basic patterns of characters and the plot in this new genre. He introduced the first amateur detective Dupin, who had the ability to find who the real murderer is through logic deduction and psychological analysis. In addition, Dupin carried on his investigations with a sidekick Watson, who served as a stand-in for the reader, giving the detective the opportunity to voice his brilliant deduction. Furthermore, “Poe set up the six steps or the basic pattern to unfold the plot for classic detective fiction: introducing the detective; providing a crime and clues; detailing an investigation; announcing the unexpected denouement; unmasking the mystery; and concluding with the confession of the culprit” (Huang British 305). The above six steps have set the groundwork for the development of plot for all detective stories to follow.Whats more, Poe also invented the term “Tale of Ratiocination” (Huang American 120) which means an imaginative story, especially one that is full of action and adventure and people think or argue about something in a logical way to solve a case in it. For Poe, the ratiocination, however, is not just for the detective; it is also for the reader. That is to say, Poe does not allow the reader to sit back and merely observe; the process of ratiocination also needs the readers active participation. This gives the readers a special spiritual enjoyment which makes detective fiction so popular.B. The characteristics of detective fictionDetective fiction, as Huang Lushan claimed, is a genre of popular literature centering upon a detective. To have a better understanding about detective fiction in terms of its characteristics, we can get to know it from following essential aspects. Firstly, for its plot of the story, there must be a mysterious case that is related to any kind of crime. Secondly, “the case is finally solved by the investigation of some detective, either professional or amateur, that has unusual ability to observe and deduce” (British 304). Thirdly, detective fiction is closely related to mystery fiction but generally contains more of a puzzle element that must be solved, usually by a single protagonist, either male or female. A common feature of detective fiction is an investigator who is unmarried, with some source of income other than a regular job, and who generally has some pleasing eccentricities of striking characteristics. He or she frequently has a less intelligent assistant, or foil, who is asked to make apparently irrelevant inquiries, and who acts as an audience surrogate of the explanation of the mystery at the end of the story. Fourthly, it is that Poe set up the basic pattern of western classic detective fiction as we have referred above. In short, the pattern which the story follows is immensely fascinating. “It is a locked-room puzzle. One opens the door, finds not only no murderer and no weapon, but no trace of any human being having ever moved about in the room. Poe obviously delights in such analytical feats of the mind” (Chang 114). II. A Brief Introduction to Agatha ChristieAgatha Christie (1890-1976) - Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller is a very prolific British author of detective novels and short stories. As Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes, she created her own hero Hercule Poirot, an eccentric Belgian detective who relied on his keen grasp of logic to nab crooks. Whats more, she created the first female hero Miss Jane Marple successfully. Among her whole life, she wrote more than 70 detective novels. Agatha Christie was born in Torquay, in the county of Devon. She was educated home, where her mother encouraged her to write from very early age. At sixteen she was sent to school in Paris where she studied singing and piano. Christie was an accomplished pianist but her stage fright and shyness prevented her from pursuing a career in music. In her books Christie seldom referred to music, although her detectives, Poirot and Miss Marple, show interest in opera and Poirot sings in The ABC Murders (1936) a World War I song. When Christies mother took her to Cairo for a winter, she wrote there a novel. Encouraged by Eden Philpotts, neighbor and friend in Torquay, she devoted herself into writing and had short stories published. Agatha Christies second marriage made a very important influence on her life, especially on her writings. During World War I she worked in a Red Cross Hospital in Torquayas as a hospital dispenser, which gave her a rich knowledge of poisons. During this period, she amassed a great deal of knowledge about sicknesses and poisons such as strychnine and resin that she often featured in her novels. It was to be useful when she started writing detective novels. III. The Glamour of Agatha Christies Detective Novels Millions of people all over the world like to read Agatha Christies detective novels. However, there are few critics to do deep research on detective novels. Probably the main reason is that they do not think detective fiction is a real literary form becauseThere are much more narrations than portrayals of characters. Detective novels lack literariness and art. Detective novels lack profound thoughts. Detective novels are much more rational. But Agatha Christies detective novels show us what a big success she has made in detective fiction. Many critics did research on Agatha Christies detective novels from her intricate plotting, her recognizable characters, her sparkling dialogue and other aspects. Also readers of all kinds delight in her sharply drawn characters and her insights into human nature. Along with the great readability and lifelike characters in her novels, she is regarded as the “Queen” of detective fiction. Specifically speaking, Agatha Christie used her own narrative skills to make detective fiction achieve a high value in literature. Following, based on the ana1ysis of some of Agatha Christies representative works，the glamour of her detective novels will be discussed from the angle of narrative techniques and structure A. Viewpoint 1. Narrative viewpointnarrator As we know, an event may be recounted by one person or another, such as a person who is involved in the event, a spectator who just stands by and watches what happens, or a person who has heard it from someone else. It is the same in a story. “A story is always a narrative in some way or another, and thus it always involves an agent who narrates what happens in the story” (Yuan and Qian 40). Sometimes the author may assume the role of the person who recounts the story himself or herself. But generally the author will not tell the story. Instead, he/she will arrange another agent to recount what happens in the story. To identify the narrator of a story, describing any part he/she plays in the events and any limits placed upon his/her knowledge, is to identify the storys point of view: the way in which the reader is presented with the materials of the story, and the vantage point from which the author presents the actions of the story. In a short story, it is usual for the author to maintain one point of view from beginning to end, but there is nothing to stop him/her from introducing other points of view as well. In a novel, it is quite common for the author to shift from one point of view to another. “When a nonparticipant narrator sees events through the eyes of a single character, whether a major character or a minor one, the author is using a limited point of view, sometimes called selective omniscience or limited omniscience” (Yuan and Qian 45). 2. Narrative viewpointnarrators in Agatha Christies detective novelsAs we referred, it is obvious that in Agathas detective novels, she seldom used the omniscient point of view. Instead, she is a master to shift narrative viewpoint. For instance, in The ABC Murders there are two narrators, Captain Hastings and an unknown third person. They tell the readers the story by turns. Generally speaking, in this detective novel, Hastings, Poirots partner, tells the most part of the story. It is because that he accompanies Poirot in the process of investigating. Through his narration, we can get detailed knowledge of the clues, which the writer arranges no matter right or not. In this way, the readers along with Hastings follow Poirot throughout the whole story. However, there is some information, which cannot be given directly by Hastings. Hastings stands on the side of justice. He and the readers also would be easy to fall into the traps, which the writer deliberately arranges. He himself doesnt know anything about the suspect and the culprit until the last few chapters of the novel. Besides, he couldnt be present all the time. Thus, another narrator should be introduced. With the help of these two narrators, the readers could get information in most limitation to deduce. There is another representative work of Agatha Christie for us to enjoy in terms of narrative viewpoint. It is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926). In this novel, “Agatha created a new narrative viewpoint-the narrator is just the murderer-instead of using the normal way to narrate in detective fiction” (于 24). As we know, the most frequently and naturally employed narrative is the third person narrative, in which the narrator remains outside the story, and most novelists employ this form of narrative since it can endow them with the privilege of omniscience: the narrator, unlike the first person narrator who can only reveal his/her own mind and feeling to the public, can enter the mind and reveal the thoughts and feelings of any character and make any comments on them as he/she likes. Although using the first person narrative has its own limitations, it is meanwhile an advantage for detective novels to a certain degree. The point is how to use it skillfully and successfully. In The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Agatha Christie employed the first person narrative. That is to say, there is only one narrator in this novel, Doctor Shepherd. Through his narration, we can get detailed knowledge of the murder but of course there are limitations for the reader to get enough clues to find out the real murderer. So Agatha Christie created another character that played an important role in this novel, Catherine. She is Doctor Shepherds elder sister. Catherine was a lover of gossip, and she was always caring about what had happened and what was happening in this small village. She also believed that it was her responsibility to let others know what gossip she had heard as soon as possible. As a result, the reader could get clues or other information through the conversation between Doctor Shepherd and her sister. However, it is still difficult to find out the real murderer. Until the last chapter, we would find the whole story was just like Doctor Shepherds diaries, or even his autobiography, because he, the only narrator, was also the real murderer. It is the reason why we cannot get the key clues because in Doctor Shepherds own narration he could hide everything special as he liked if necessary. But after thinking it over, people would also find that the ending was really reasonable while it was out of readers expectation. B. Characters1. Murderers in Agatha Christies detective novels“According to E. M. Foster, characters in fiction are either flat or round, depending upon whether the writer sketches or sculptures them” (Yuan and Qian 70). A flat character generally has only one ostensible trait or feature, or at most a few distinct marks. A flat character seldom surprises the reader, is immediately recognizable, and can usually be represented by a single sentence. They tend to stay the same throughout a story and the variety of environments will project the stability of their personality. A round character, however, presents us with many facets and is generally drawn with sufficient complexity to be able to surprise the reader without losing credibility. No matter flat characters or round characters, the writer must be a master of words to form her own way to characterize vividly